This month, Michelin announced that 19 new restaurants have been added to New York’s 2024 Michelin Guide, and three of the newcomers are in North Brooklyn. Interestingly, all three restaurants have Japanese elements. Congratulations to Lingo, Uzuki, and Okonomi.
Greenpoint’s Lingo (27 Greenpoint Ave.) opened last year with a menu of American, European, and Japanese comfort food from Chef Emily Yuen. The menu includes Japanese dishes like uni crispy rice and milk bread alongside burrata with yuzu kosho vinaigrette and bone marrow steak tartare with black sesame, cheddar, and nori hand wraps. One of Lingo’s most unique dishes is the beef pie, which is made with Hokkaido-style braised beef curry, bone marrow, and rosemary.
Greenpointers recently visited Lingo for brunch and tried the incredibly popular yuzu ricotta pancakes which lived up to the hype. Chef Yuen has just announced that she will be adding her banana hotcakes foster from Bessou to Lingo’s brunch menu. This dish will have Japanese-style pancakes topped with banana, black sesame, black sugar syrup, rum, and salted miso caramel ice cream.
Lingo also recently added a dedicated kids’ menu for both brunch and dinner. “As both a mom and a chef, I’ve learned that sharing the joy of good food is one of the greatest gifts we can give our kids,” Chef Yuen said recently. “At Lingo, our kids’ menu isn’t just about smaller portions; it’s a chance to introduce young minds and palates to the magic of dining.”
Greenpoint’s Uzuki (95 Guernsey St.) opened last year in the Japanese design and dining complex at 50 Norman with a completely gluten-free menu from Chef Shuichi Kotani.
The highlight of Uzuki’s menu is the soba noodles that are made of 100% buckwheat. There are both cold and hot soba preparations that feature hand-cut noodles served in ceramic bowls that Chef Kotani made himself.
Michelin suggests starting with the red tosaka salad with cucumber, tomatoes, and daikon radish tossed in a yuzu dressing, and notes that Uzuki’s menu prices are steep.
Williamsburg’s Okonomi (290 Graham Ave.) received recognition from Michelin for its omakase program. During the day, this location is a market with takeout bento boxes, rice bowls, and mazemen, but from Wednesday to Saturday evenings, the market closes early and Chef Daniel Lee offers a multi-course tasting menu, known as the Okonomi Kappo Counter.
Michelin called Okonomi’s casual omakase counter experience “as easygoing as they come,” which isn’t surprising as the setting is the back room of the market with no servers, just Chef Lee and his sous chef. Plus, it’s BYOB.
Michelin mentions the “wahoo sashimi topped with a zesty cucumber-seaweed sauce” and the “superb tilefish cured in kombu, wrapped in shiso leaves, and fried in a light, flaky, beer batter.”
These new additions to New York’s Michelin Guide are part of the latest of several rounds this year that Michelin is considering for a star, Bib Gourmand recognition, or neither. Michelin will announce stars for New York on December 9.